Toyota C-HR: first ride

We hit the road in prototype versions of Toyota's new Nissan Qashqai rival, the radically-styled C-HR

"People in Europe drive fast, so they need a vehicle with precise handling. That was the starting point for the Toyota C-HR," says Hiroyuki Koba, the chief engineer for this new SUV.

The C-HR was first shown in concept form at the 2014 Paris motor show, but by then Toyota had already been working on the car for four years.

It had originally intended it to be a Nissan Juke rival based on the Yaris hatchback. However, Koba-san and his team swiftly realised that they wouldn't be able to meet their handling targets, so swapped to a new, more sophisticated platform – the one that has since been used for the latest Prius hybrid.

As a result, the finished car is larger than originally envisioned; it's closer in size to the Qashqai than the Juke. But it retains the elevated SUV stance and sleek, coupé-like roofline of the concept. Indeed, C-HR stands for Coupé High-Rider.

The Toyota C-HR was shown in finished form at this year's Geneva motor show

UK sales will start towards the end of this year. But in the meantime we've come to Paris to ride in a couple of prototype versions of the car.

Sadly, while we know what the C-HR will look like on the outside, because the finished design was unveiled earlier this year in Geneva, that show car had blacked out windows and the dashboards of the prototypes were covered with a tarpaulin (an attempt to look underneath merely resulted in smacked fingers), so the interior remains something of a mystery.

What we can tell you, however, is that the front seats are comfortable, offering good lower back support, and that the rear is suitable for anyone up to about six-foot tall. Rear visibility, on the other hand, is appalling.

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The hybrid powertrain from the latest Prius will be offered, but both of the prototypes feature a turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine: one connected to a six-speed manual gearbox and the other a CVT automatic.

A major downside of CVT gearboxes is that they tend to allow a lot of engine noise when you put your foot down. And, sure enough, when Koba-san floors the accelerator to pass a slow-moving lorry, there's a pained scream from under the bonnet of the C-HR.

The rear spoiler isn't just for show – it also aids stability

When he accelerates more gently, however, the gearbox does a good impression of a conventional auto, shifting smoothly between pre-assigned ratios.

The other thing that’s obvious is how well resolved the suspension is – at least when combined with the 17-inch wheels of the CVT car. Its body movements are tightly controlled, and while you’re aware that the C-HR is passing over bumps, they're rarely transmitted on to occupants.

True, the 18-inch wheels of the manual prototype let more road imperfections thunk through to your backside, but the ride is still far from terrible. And over fierce dips and crests that would have most Toyotas – indeed, most cars – bottoming out or kangarooing down the road, the C-HR copes superbly.

In recent years, whenever Toyota has tried to be bold the result has been disappointing sales – think iQ city car and GT86 sports car – but given the popularity of SUVs, it's likely to break that run with the C-HR. If our brief ride is anything to go by, it certainly deserves to.

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